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The duck-and-cover move ran contrary to her Senate campaign, which featured a headline speech at the Democratic National Convention, guest spots with Rachel Maddow, “The Daily Show” and all the other trappings of a national media moment.

But it was also a harbinger of things to come: Since taking office, Warren has kept the lowest of profiles, speaking only to select Massachusetts media outlets while shutting out the national press save for a smattering of interviews, most notably with the liberal-friendly Huffington Post. For a left-leaning icon and national media darling, the role of silent senator is a sharp departure from her rousing campaign and outspoken consumer advocacy.

It’s the same tactic used by other first-term senators who entered the chamber to great fanfare, including former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Other outlets hoping to nab Warren’s thoughts in the Capitol hallways are either ignored or offered a litany of excuses for why she can’t talk, including Warren’s own recent explanation that she’s “walking right now.”

Warren declined to comment for this article, but in a statement her chief of staff Mindy Myers said that the senator is “working hard to advocate for the hardworking families in Massachusetts.”

“Sometimes the best way to do that is quietly, letting everyone else take the credit, and sometimes it means not being so quiet and taking a public stand,” Myers said, pointing to Warren’s first news conference Wednesday on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

By picking her battles and flying under the radar, Warren is working to convert her campaign star-power into a reputation as a serious legislator among her Senate colleagues.

“Your colleagues here are not necessarily as impressed with you as those on the outside might be. You’ve got to earn their respect, you’ve got to work hard,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has his own share of admirers. “I think she comes in with a lot of experience given her involvement in a number of different issues over the years, but there’s a lot she’ll need to learn first and I think it’s a good approach, usually the most successful approach.”

Warren’s conspicuously quiet entrance to Congress, as well as her laser-sharp focus on the Bay State, is in part a bid to prove she’s not the carpet-bagging bomb-thrower her critics predicted.